Floor mat



FLOOR MAT Filed Jan. 6, 1.936

inventor Ca rZ/LOZgozc.

Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES FLOOR MAT CarlA. Olson, KansasCity, Mo., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to The Helping Hand Institute, Kansas City, 'souriMo; a corporation of Mis- Application January 6, 1936, Serial N6. 57,699

8 Claims.

,-This invention relates to floor mats suitable for use in small size,as foot scrapers, or in larger size, as floor protectors in halls orbuilding entrances, in golf club locker rooms as protectionforfioors'and. carpets from. spiked shoes, and in placessubject to heavytravel and for sounddeadening purposes, and my object is to produce ,afloor mat which will function eificiently and is characterized bysimplicity, cheapness and durbility of construction.

With the general object named in view the invention consists in certainnovel and useful features of construction and organization of parts ashereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fullyunderstood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of one form of a mat embodying theinvention, parts being shown in section.

Figure 2 is an end View thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a mat differing in'design frombut of the same principle of construction as the mat shown in Figure 1.In the said drawing, l indicates parallel crossmembers, preferably inthe form of relatively stiff metal rods, adjacent pairs of said membersbeing securely connected together at their ends by end portions 2, toform long rectangular frames of substantial strength and rigidity. Thecorresponding end portions 2 of the frames are longitudinally alined,and mounted on all of the said members I, are border strips 3,preferably of flexible material, such as that used in pneumatic tirecasings. The outer sides of the border strips fit flatlyagainst therespective end portions of the cross members, and between said borderstrips and mounted on all of the cross members, lie flexible strips 4,constituting the body of the mat, all of the strips 4, extendingcrosswise of members I and in generally parallel relation to the borderstrips.

Adjacent flexible strips 4 abut sidewise together and the outermost onesalso abut the inner sides of the border strips. In wide mats there maybe one or more intermediate or division strips 5 of the type used forborder strips, the so-called division strips being mounted on all of themembers I and interposed between adjacent strips 4. The use of thedivision strips, if of thick character, adds stiffness, strength anddurability to the mat, but are desirable only in mats eighteen or moreinches in width.

In all forms of the mat each longitudinal flexible strips,-which is alsoof stout and durable ferred construction, adjacent pairs of double'loops are spaced to coincide with alternate cross members I, though itwill be obvious that if the latter are spaced apart sufiiciently,adjacent pairs of double loops may be spaced to coincide with thespacing of adjacent cross members. In all cases, however, the doubleloops extend crosswise of members I and have alined openings throughwhich the latter extend. In the construction where the double loops aremounted on or pierced by alternate cross members, the other crossmembers intermediate the pairs of'loops, pierce or extend through thestrips 4, intermediate the pairs of double loops. 7

In the preferred construction, where the double loops coincide withalternate cross members, the double loops of adjacent or sidewiseabutting strips '4, are mounted on different but adjacent cross members,so that the double loops of alternate strips 4, shall engage oppositesides of the intermediate strip 4, midway between adjacent pairs ofloops of the latter. As a result of this arrangement, the strips 4afford resilient pressure or resistance to'independent lateral creepageor play of any strip, and the cross members, piercing all of the strips4, guard against longitudinal play or creepage of the strips 4.

.In one form of mat, Figure 3, where the double loops of the strips 4are spaced to coincide with alternate crossmembers, the strips 4 arearranged in sets of pairs with the outer loops of the sets facing in onedirection and the inner loops in the opposite direction. Between thesecond and fifth strips 4, in which the respective double loops coincidewith the same cross members, are interposed the third and fourth strips4, with the double loops thereof mounted on the cross membersintermediate those on which the double loops of the second and fifthstrips 4 are mounted. The remaining strips 4, however numerous, arearranged in the same relation as those designated as the second, third,fourth and fifth strips, except the outermost strip 4 laterally abuttingthe border strip, and the corresponding strips which laterally abut theintermediate strip 5 used in wide mats. It will also be noted asinherent in both types disclosed, that endwise thrust or shafting of thestrips is resisted by the loops which are alined longitudinally, thisresist-' ance cooperating with that of the cross rods. In Figure 3 thisoccurs through direct endwise abutment of alined loops on adjacent crossrods. In Figure 1, the same result is secured, slightly diagonally, byadjacent loops, through the medium of interposed intermediate part ofone of the strips. This would appear more clearly in the construction ofFigure 1 if the loops appeared of more flattened character, as theyactually are in the mat as manufactured.

It will be noted that the mat, in both forms, presents portions disposedcrosswise to scraping movement of ones shoe, regardless of the directionor angle in which the latter is drawn in the attempt to clean the soleor heel of mud or other adhering foreign matter. It is to be understoodthat the invention is susceptible of modification and that I claim theright to all changes within the spirit of the invention and without theambit of the prior art.

I claim:

1. A floor mat, comprising a series of cross members and a series offlexible strips disposed in sidewise abutting relation and cross-wise ofand mounted on all of said members, the strips having series ofsuitably-spaced double loops, adjacent loops facing in oppositedirections crosswise with respect to the same members.

2. A floor mat, comprising a series of cross members and a series offlexible strips disposed in sidewise abutting relation and cross-wise ofand mounted on all of said members, the strips having series ofsuitably-spaced pairs of double loops disposed side by side and facingin opposite directions cross-wise with respect to the said members.

3. A floor mat, comprising a series of cross members and a series offlexible strips disposed in sidewise abutting relation and cross-wise ofand mounted on all of said members, the strips having series ofsuitably-spaced double loops disposed side by side and facing inopposite directions cross-wise with respect to the said members, eachpair of side by side loops having laterally-alined openings throughwhich one of the cross members extends.

4. A floor mat, comprising a series of cross members and a series offlexible strips disposed in sidewise abutting relation and cross-wise ofand mounted on all of said members, the strips having series ofsuitably-spaced double loops disposed side by side and facing inopposite directions cross-wise with respect to the said members, eachpair of side by side loops having laterally-alined openings throughwhich one of the cross members extends, longitudinally adjacent loops ofsidewise adjacent strips, opposing each other as regards longitudinalshafting of the strips and strips at opposite sides of the flexiblestrips and secured on the said cross members and engaging the outermostflexible strips to prevent lateral shifting thereof.

5. A floor mat comprising a series of laterallyspaced rods, and aplurality of flexible strips extending cross-wise of and each pierced byall oi. said rods, each strip being formed coincident with alternaterods with reversely-facing loops; the loops coincident with alternaterods, being disposed at opposite sides of the portions of the stripsextending between the alternate rods coincident with thereverse'ly-faced loops.

6. A floor mat comprising a series of laterallyspaced rods, and aplurality of flexible strips extending cross-wise of and each pierced byall of said rods, each strip being formed coincident with alternate rodswith reversely-facing loops; the loops coincident with alternate rods,being disposed at opposite sides of the portions of the strips extendingbetween the alternate rods coincident with the reversely-faced loops,the ends of pairs of adjacent rods being connected together toconstitute stifi frames of oblong rectangular form.

7. A floor mat comprising a series of laterallyspaced rods, and aplurality of flexible strips extending cross-wise of and each pierced byall of said rods, each strip being formed coincident with alternate rodswith reversely-facing loops; the loops coincident with alternate rods,being disposed at opposite sides of the portions of the strips extendingbetween the alternate rods 00- incident with the reversely-faced loops,and laterally-spaced strips extending cross-wise of and mounted upon allof the rods and holding interposed flexible strips in sidewise abuttingrelation.

8. A floor mat comprising a series of laterallyspaced rods, and aplurality of flexible strips extending cross-wise of and each pierced byall of said rods, each strip being formed coincident with alternate rodswith reversely-facing loops; the loops coincident with alternate rods,being disposed at opposite sides of the portions of the strips extendingbetween the alternate rods coincident with the reversely-faced loops,the upper portions of the portions which extend between alternate rods,lying in parallel angular relation and abutting sidewise together;adjacent strips having the upper portions of their portions which extendbetween alternate rods, lying in parallel and sidewise-abuttingrelation, and the lower portions of said portions extending betweenalternate rods, lying in downwardly diverging relation.

CARL A. OLSON.

